Place
by IrisEclipsed
Summary: [PeinBlue] [PeinKonan] She questions her place but he seems to know exactly where she should be. [Oneshot] [For PeinBlue Contest]


A/N: I think this pairing might become my new fixation. It's up there with NejiTen and SasuNaru, like, _really_ up there. I never thought I'd ever like another straight pairing as much as I like NejiTen, but PeinBlue is just that awesome. Enjoy!

This is unbeta'd at the moment because I wanted to post this immediately. I'll probably regret it later, but right now I'm just too happy.

Warning: SPOILERS.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

XXXXX

Pein groaned while his vision cleared, the spider webs disappearing while he grew more alert. His body, the lower half, was covered by a sheet and he didn't have to reach over, he always did though, to know that she wasn't there. She was _always_ the first to wake up after their nights of mind-blowing sex; it was truly fantastic. The other half of the bed was slightly cold and he turned his head because she was suddenly sitting on the corner of the bed, beside his feet.

She was still naked, the light of the fire illuminating her skin with a reddish glow.

There was still a chance for more sex.

They weren't acknowledged lovers, she wouldn't do it. She said they were partners first and foremost, friends second and lovers last.

He understood.

She looked at him. "You alright?" she asked, voice sultry.

"Why shouldn't I be?" The smirk on her lips made them look inviting. Pein sat up in bed and moved to her side, caressed her cheek with tenderness he reserved especially for her. She touched the back of his hand with her own and leaned into his caress.

"I suppose it's a stupid question on my part." she replied, turning her head a little and kissing the center of his palm. "You have nothing to worry about with aqcuiring the Kyuubi."

Pein didn't voice his agreement; he was too intent on staring into her eyes. "Are you worried?"

Her hands snaked around his neck and ran through his hair as she laid down and pulled him down with her. He braced himself on his elbows so he wouldn't crush her with his weight. She kissed his lips lightly and then moved them down, licking and nibbling her way till she reached the hollow of his throat.

"Should I be?"

XXXXX

He supposed he found her intriguing.

Besides the fact that she was beautiful, she was efficient.

A gorgeous murderess.

When he became leader of Akatsuki he didn't hesitate to ask her to become his partner. There were others he'd thought about asking, but after seeing her fight he knew it had to be her. She was a little skeptical at first, being surround by testosterone all the time wasn't very appealing, but apparently she thought about the offer. When he went to her the second time a week later she didn't hesitate to accept, not voicing her exact reasons but saying that she wanted . . . More. More what he wouldn't understand, not even now did he understand what she meant. Sometimes she was as much of a mystery as she was the first day they met.

XXXXX

She liked flowers, always wore that flower in her hair like an ornament. The white color was shocking against her indigo hair, but the contrast was oddly appealing.

Pein found himself liking it.

One day he brought her one of those white flowers and she'd sat on a statue staring at the city afterwards, spinning the flower on it's stem for hours and smelling it occasionally.

She didn't say thank you, but she certainly showed her appreciation that night.

XXXXX

"Do you remember when you got those done?"

He knew she was talking about the piercings. "I remember you were there for a few." he answered simply. "You weren't exactly thrilled when I asked you to get one done as well."

She touched the stud below her lips gently, thinking. "I disliked the idea at first," she admitted truthfully, "but I can't imagine myself without it now." Pein fingered the six earrings on his right ear, feeling the cold metal beneath his fingers. "I can't imagine _you_ without those things in your ears and those bridge piercings on your nose, Pein." He opened his mouth but she shot him an icy glare and said darkly, "Don't say my name, Leader-sama."

Formailty.

He loathed it when it came from her mouth.

She only ever called him that when she was angry and he did something taboo, like try and call her by her name.

He didn't fully understand why it was off limits.

Perhaps it was so that he couldn't completely _have_ her the way he would like.

XXXXX

He liked watching the rain. It was strangely soothing to watch the water fall from the sky, drenching the Earth and washing things away. Water was powerful; with time and persistance it could erode stone. Pein thought of himself like a rock, unfeeling and unmoved by anything, not his colleagues dying, he didn't care that they were killed, only cared about the fact that someone was strong enough _to_ kill them, or the fact that his authority was a sham. He _wanted_ to be like stone, but if he was stone then she was water; constantly moving and forcing herself into his head. Making him wonder about the fact that they had lost four members, Orochimaru not included.

_'Our situation is a little dire. The brats of Konoha are getting stronger. These seem especially talented, don't you think?'_

Pein stared into the downpour.

Yes, they were exceptional compared to previous generations, no, they were still a little inexperienced.

She gave them too much credit, maybe she was just intrigued about their growth. Stronger shinobi made for better battles and young ones seemed to have more stamina and were more unpredictable. Like the Kyuubi brat. He had Zetsu watching the boy from the beginning, making note of his fighting style and signature techniques. Pein liked the boy's interesting ways of working things out; they were always different and so unexpected.

Odd but incredibly interesting.

For some reason he thought of her.

XXXXX

"Pein."

He looked up from his perch just as she sat down beside him. The ring on her middle finger glinted, her perfectly painted black nails stood out against her fair skin.

"Yes?" he said in response, turning his attention back on the city.

"Do you remember when we went to see Konoha?" she asked, her crimson colored eyes moving over his face.

He propped a leg up and leaned his head back against the building. "It was for recon."

"I couldn't help but think," she began, "that Konoha is so different from our own home. The air is cleaner."

Pein didn't know why she'd brought this up but he'd play along. "We have more industry than they do." he answered simply.

"Do you think things would've been different if we grew up in a place like that?"

It was the single oddest question she'd ever asked him. He looked at her and her ruby colored eyes stared right back into his silver ones. "Do you regret joining Akatsuki then?" he asked.

She stared at the ring on her hand, moving her fingers so it could catch some of the sun's fading rays. "Sometimes I wonder what my life would've been like if I hadn't joined, yes." she admitted truthfully. "I wonder if I would've turned out a simple kunoichi if I lived my life in a place like Konoha."

Pein looked at the tall buildings around him and then at the orange, pink and lavender sky.

"You would've been restless." he said matter-of-factly. She raised an eyebrow at his comment and he continued. "You would've withered in a place like that."

"'Withered'?" she repeated skeptically. "You make me sound like a flower."

He ignored her.

"You never would've been happy in such a place."

"How do you know that?" she asked. "How do you where my place is?"

"Your place is here." Pein stated flatly. "With me."

She opened her mouth, possibly to retort, but closed it and stared at the setting sun instead.

He could swear there was the hint of a smile on her lips.

XXXXX

"What do you think of our remaining members?" Pein asked, leaning comfortably against the door of the room. She took the flower out of her hair and set it down gently on the nightstand before beginning to unbutton her cloak. He knew she was going to answer, she was just thinking about her answer. She knew he valued her opinions and had never lied to him before, maybe been a little evasive, but never lied. She was the only member out of Akatsuki that he trusted with his life and she had never given him a reason to doubt her loyalty like the others. He hoped this would never change.

"I suppose they are the best since they're still alive," she replied, slipping her arms out of the black, crimson cloud covered cloak. "I was never very fond of Sasori or Kakuzu, but Deidara was quite endearing; he had a very nice voice. I never liked Hidan."

"He wasn't very polite, was he?"

"An understatement, Pein."

"Orochimaru's loyalty was always in question. I suppose we should be grateful that he defected."

She scoffed and said, voice laced with disdain, "That pedophile deserved what he got from the Uchiha survivor."

He'd never heard her talk about someone with so much disgust in her voice but she and Orochimaru hadn't gotten along from the beginning.

"You were happy he left." Pein said dryly.

She gave him an unreadable look. "Of course, Leader-sama."

He nearly frowned. She was annoyed with him. "Tell me what you think about the remaining members."

"Zetsu is Zetsu, he'll always be the one to clean up the bodies." She ran her index finger over her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Kisame has already gotten his Jinchuuriki so his part is done and Itachi . . . He'll be angry. The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was supposed to be his from the very beginning."

Pein watched her make her way towards him, the look in her eyes pure wickedness. She began unbuttoning his cloak.

"It wasn't my decision. He'll get over it if I tell him to."

She finished and he shrugged it off. "True," she murmured, staring up at him from under dark lashes, "you _are_ the Akatsuki leader afterall."

"You don't like him." Pein stated bluntly as she ran her hands up his chest underneath his black shirt.

"I just don't trust his intentions completely, Pein." she said, pushing the shirt up and over his head and dropping it on the floor. "Don't tell me _you_ do."

"Whatever he tells me to do, I'll do it." he answered, leaning down and kissing her bare shoulder. "Right now his plans are similar to mine."

"Pein, honestly." she said, a little exasperation in her tone. "Obito probably has a seperate agenda all together and he's keeping us in the dark on purpose. Why hasn't he told Itachi he's also an Uchiha?"

Pein rolled his eyes and mouthed at her neck. "Probably afraid Itachi will kill him as well." he murmured against her skin. A slow smile spread across her face and he heard her breath hitch as he skimmed his lips across her jaw. "I think Obito might be after something, though I don't know what it is at the moment . . ."

"How much do we know about him exactly?" she asked, running her hands up his back and tilting her head to the side to give him more access to her neck. "All we know about him is what he's told us. Uchiha clan, lost his left eye, meaningless things. I don't even know why you let him in."

"Are you worried he'll betray us?"

She snorted. "I'm sure we could kill him if he tried anything like that."

"Then why are you so fixated on this issue?"

"_Loyalty_, Leader-sama." she snapped. "Shouldn't your members be loyal? All this defection, death and inavailability is going to mean more work for us."

"I don't care about their loyalty." Pein led her to the bed and sat down. She sat with him, eyes narrowed with slight contempt. "I care about yours."

"You know you'll always have it." she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'm glad to hear that." He knew she'd never waver like the others, but it was reassuring all the same to hear her say it. "Your loyalty will always be valued," he knew _she_ knew that he had been about to say her name, so he changed his mind. "Blue." She looked startled for a moment so he fingered a few strands of her hair. "It's the most intriguing thing about you, besides the color of your eyes."

"I see. Is that all you think about when you look at me?" she asked. He leaned back against the headboard as she pulled her shirt off. "I'm sure I have better qualities."

Pein eyed her appreciatively. "I know."

She licked her lips and kissed him, running her tongue along his bottom lip and urging him to open his mouth so they could deepen the kiss. He obliged. Pein placed his hands at her waist and she kissed the side of his mouth tenderly before turning her attentions to his neck and ear; she had a habit of nibbling on the lobe before running her tongue over the various piercings.

"Blue," she breathed against his ear, "I like it."

"I see . . ."

Her hands ghosted across his stomach till they reached the waistband of his pants.

They didn't talk anymore after that.

XXXXX

They weren't the type to cuddle afterwards but sometimes they'd just lay there if they both weren't too tired. Usually when this happened he'd skim his hands over her smooth back, she liked laying on her stomach, and she'd stare at him while he thought.

"Are you worried about the Jinchuuriki?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

"Do you doubt my skill?" he countered, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

_'There's no point in describing our target with such scary language. Pein has never lost a battle.'_

"I have complete faith in you." she stated sincerely, red eyes fixed on his face to gouge his reaction.

Pein stared at the opposite wall and stopped his ministrations. "I know."

"Pein . . ."

He kissed her suddenly, a kiss that was nothing like the ones they'd shared before. Slower, gentle, not hurried. He didn't know if she understood the real meaning behind it, that he thought of her as more than his partner and friend. To him she'd always be there and silently he was pledging the same thing to her.

"Thank you." Pein murmured against her lips, feeling her breathe against his own.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd said something so filled with sentimentality and the feelings were foreign.

She stared at him for a few seconds before she seemed to decide something in her mind.

"You were right." she replied, closing her eyes. "My place is with you."

XXXXX

A/N: Please review. Reviews are my happy crack.

Obviously the part about Obito is because I believe the Tobito theory. You are at complete liberty to disagree with me, but that's just what I believe.


End file.
